The Arcane OrderThe Library Arcane: The Lord of the Dead

Wind

by Melyanna Lindor

Melyanna stood outside the portal that would take her to the mystical city of Wind. She had become rather fond of the hidden park and tried to come often. Rubbing her temples, she took the necessary steps that would take her past the wards guarding the hidden city. A slight tingle and she was inside the caverns that surrounded the city proper. Melyanna took a few moments to orient herself, a small breeze ruffling her hair. As she made her way through the passages, she was surprised at not encountering another soul. Even the liches seemed to avoid the halls this day. As she turned a corner, a set of glowing red eyes appeared on the wall in front of her, setting the tiny hairs at her nape on end.

Melyanna's eyes filled with fear as her started pounding in her chest. The malicious gaze just seemed to hover there for the moment, before they seemed to float closer. She didn't wait to see what they intended to do, instead she turned and ran back down the hall she had come from. Suddenly the once familiar passages no longer were. She turned ahead expecting to find the portal that would take her outside and found herself instead, in the daemon lair, face to face with two large daemons. Mely screamed, yet no sound was heard. She turned, noting the eyes just waiting at the end of the hall, promising retribution for having made them chase her. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a new passage, debated only a moment before she took off at a run down that path. Her heart pounded so rapidly, she could hardly hear the daemons shrieking behind her.

The elf continued to run down unfamiliar corridors, the maze constantly changing as she thought she recognized areas. She ran, losing track of time. It could have been hours or days, soon she stopped caring and just wanted to get out of the city. Her heart, feeling as if it would explode, thudded loudly as she came to another dead end. She turned looking for a way out and found even the tunnel she had used gone, in it's place were the glowing, crimson eyes. Mely screamed, clutched her head as pain shot through it and collapsed in a heap before the malevolent gaze.

Azeron shook his wife's shoulder trying to awaken her, "Mely... wake up," he shouted, trying to be heard over her terrified screams. "Melyanna, please wake up!" finally she opened her eyes, squinting up, trying to make out her husband's features through the blurry haze...